On the occasion of the opening of the Pinocchio Museum (Via Ricasoli, Florence), the exhibition Pinocchio, curated by Fabio De Poli, will be inaugurated at Giunti Odeon.

The Exhibition:

*"At first, Fabio De Poli declares his strong and stubborn dislike for Pinocchio and all things related to him. However, he later 'repents' and, fascinated by paper, color, scissors, and the 'humble' materials of a skilled painting technique, recreates a kind of silhouette story. In this, the memory of Mazzanti, but also of Mattioli, is pushed forward, transforming each character into a colorful cutout—like a children's game by those who have learned, and well, the lesson of Matisse. De Poli positions himself at the farthest edge where book illustration meets painting. His work is both one and the other. (...)

The most significant pieces by De Poli are undoubtedly those where Pinocchio takes revenge on the artist’s declared aversion and completely dominates the space. With his sharp angles, dynamic lines, and twisting movements, he divides the collage’s space, becoming shadow and backlight, an optical illusion as well as a tangible, tactile reality."*

— Valentino Baldacci and Andrea Rauch, Pinocchio e la sua immagine, Giunti 2006, p. 44

The Artist:

Fabio De Poli was born in Genoa in 1947 and now lives in the countryside around Montecatini Terme (PT). In 1964, he attended the Florence Institute of Art, specializing in advertising graphics under the guidance of Lucio Venna.

In the early 1970s, he produced a series of New Dada works and was recommended by Enrico Crispolti for the Paris Biennale of Young Artists. He participated in numerous prestigious art exhibitions and developed an interest in design, creating object-furniture pieces. He collaborated with Eugenio Miccini and Antonio Bueno on the magazine Visual.

In 1984, he moved to Rome as a guest of Mario Ceroli and began a new series of works titled Roma. That same year, he took part in the XXIX National Art Biennale of Milan. From then on, he exhibited extensively, showcasing large-scale paintings, graphic works, design objects, and artist books. He founded the magazine Meta, parole e immagini, and in 1992, he participated in the Italian Artist’s Book exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

In 1996, the monograph Fabio De Poli, opere 1969-1996 was published by Polistampa. In 1998, he exhibited alongside Mario Ceroli at Palazzo Vecchio’s Sala d’Arme in Florence with Due atti unici. In 1999, Gillo Dorfles and Paolo Minetti presented his artist’s book Pour Moi at the National Central Library of Florence. That same year, he created his first virtual exhibition, The Most Beautiful Art Exhibition in the World.

In the early 2000s, his participation in exhibitions grew, attracting increasing attention from art critics. In 2002, he was featured in The History of Italian Art, curated by Giorgio Di Genova. His collaboration with the Farsetti Gallery led to multiple exhibitions, including the presentation of the book Fabio De Poli. Tracce d’artista at the Milan venue in 2004.

In 2003, in Vasto, he created two external mosaics, each 100 square meters, on a residential building designed by Studio Dearch. In 2004, in collaboration with Mirabili, he installed the iron sculpture RossoAirone in Montecatini’s Viale Verdi. The following year, he designed a 60-meter stained glass window for the new Meyer Children's Hospital in Florence.

As an illustrator, he collaborated with Andrea Rauch on La Biblioteca Junior, publishing four children's books: Notte di luna (which won the Andersen Prize for Best Illustrated Book), Zan-denti, Pinocchio, and Filo. In 2010, Usher Arte published Cinquanta Piccoli De Poli, a collection of his works.

Following the events of September 11, he donated a commemorative artwork to the U.S. Consulate in Florence. He also inaugurated an art space at the Palace Hotel in Vasto, creating a permanent installation titled Ritratto continuo, featuring 63 works.

Since the early 2000s, he has designed the awards for the Capalbio Cinema Prize and worked on stained glass windows for Siena’s new Museum of Resistance. Later, he became the artistic director of the Usher Arte Gallery in Lucca and, since 2015, has directed the Art Corner space at the San Giorgio Library in Pistoia.

In 2012, his major retrospective 20 anni con Vasto was held at Palazzo Mattioli in Vasto. In the following years, he continued his personal exhibitions and engagements in graphic design, art, and design. He has collaborated extensively with the Carlo Palli Archive and participated in numerous collective exhibitions organized by the archive.

Among his many public and private collaborations, notable projects include SheetArt and Compagnia dei Santi Bevitori. In January 2020, he exhibited the series Libri clandestini at the Gli Ori publishing house’s stand at Artefiera Bologna. In June of the same year, he published Tutta colpa di Raffaello with the same publisher.

In the spring of 2022, his exhibition Libri clandestini was held in Civitanova Marche, showcasing his ongoing exploration of book-related themes. In 2023, he was named an honorary academician of the Accademia delle Arti e del Disegno in Florence.

In the summer of 2024, he participated in the solo exhibition On the Road, curated by Fabio Gori as part of Paesaggi Contemporanei, a contemporary art initiative promoting the Radicondoli area. The exhibition was later hosted at the Milan branch of the Farsetti Gallery in November.

He continues to curate the Art Corner space at the San Giorgio Library in Pistoia and is organizing an exhibition on Saul Steinberg, featuring a collection of covers the illustrator created for The New Yorker.

In 2025, he will be present at ARTEFIERA Bologna with the Frediano Farsetti Gallery.